2012 Super Chevy Show Memphis - Meanwhile Back In Memphis...

The Super Chevy Show returned to the re-opened Memphis international raceway. it was like we never left.

After a two-year hiatus from, well, everything, Memphis Motorsports Park was reborn as Memphis International Raceway in 2011, thanks to the folks who own fellow Super Chevy Show host track Palm Beach International Raceway. Before it closed, Memphis was always one of the hottest shows on the circuit, and when the announcement came that the track was returning to the schedule in 2012, we knew it’d be a smash hit.

With over 400 show cars, 500 drag cars, and 571 swap meet slots, the 2012 Memphis show was a riot that might dethrone Maple Grove as the top show this year (we expect our Northeast fans to get fired up at this prospect!).

In the show field there was a variety of cars that had us so overwhelmed we doubled the number of Editor’s Choice awards to give out. All the great racing action kept us running from the show field to the starting line and the race cars were so pretty we photographed two of them for features. Had they tried, they proably would have been nice enough to win show trophies.

The swap meet at Memphis was a bargain hunter’s delight, with an amazing variety of parts, cars, and assorted items to look through and pillage for any sort of project. There was our AMSOIL Best of the Best competition, Revell Make ‘N Take model building program, and a packed manufacturer’s midway to keep you busy as well.

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2012 Super Chevy Show Memphis - Meanwhile Back In Memphis...

Saturday started with this sign of things to come, traffic coming into the track backed up for literally miles! By 10 a.m., all the lots were full and people were parking in the woods and any place else they could find or pay for.

Two weeks after Bill Jenkins’ death, John Poore and Billy Shirley brought out their Grumpy’s Toy tribute Camaro. It turned into an impromptu memorial for the racing great.

Just as packed as the car show was the pits. All weekend the staging lanes were packed with cars from junior dragsters up to Pro Mods entertaining the packed grandstands.

Angela Anderson and her daughter Whitney brought their Dover White, all-original ’69 Z/28 to have some fun with. Mr. Anderson has a ’69 Pace Car, which spurred mother and daughter to go looking for a ’69 of their own to restore and enjoy.

More insane than the car show was the swap meet at Memphis. With nearly 600 vendor slots sold, there were deals and buried treasures galore to be found. This ratty-but-running and mostly rust-free ’70 Malibu had a $4,800 asking price. Before it was lunch time, the windshield had SOLD scribbled across it, and the Malibu drove away with its new owner.

One of our Editor’s Choice drag car award winners was Kenny Pease and his ’62 Nova wagon. This thing was detailed to the nines inside and out.

For our truck fans, here’s a cool piece. Drew Renshaw built his crew cab out of a ’72 C10 and ’72 Suburban, then dropped the whole thing onto an ’02 Silverado Quadrasteer chassis. And this truck isn’t for show either. Drew uses it as his daily driver, even while finishing up the interior and engine compartment.

One of only 4,575 built in ’68, Scooter Anderson’s L78/M21 equipped RS/SS was a cool sight, especially painted in its factory hue of Grecian Green.

The ’60 El Caminos are a rare sight, especially restored, 348- powered ones like Harold Petty’s. He added a four-speed to make it even cooler.

There were dozens of gorgeous Tri-Fives in Memphis. Gary and Janice Kilgore’s 150 sedan was an eye-catcher for sure.

A ’79 Z28 isn’t usually the type of second-gen F-body you see get full restomod treatment, which made Trent Goodwin’s Ridetech- equipped Camaro even more unusual.

Corvair … wagon?! You might remember Mike Meyers’ white with orange stripes/V-8-powered Corvair from a couple of years ago. He and his wife Marsha drove this LS1-powered hauler down from Illinois, and he was slugging it out in the True Street class. He ran a trio of 12.50s, with a best of 12.52.

“You know honey, I’d love you forever if you built me an El Camino just like this!”

Another deal to be had in the swap meet was this Azure Turquoise ’69 Camaro, still with its original 307 and white interior. It just oozed potential.

Son, get away from that thing. There’s no telling what it’ll do!

The stands were packed all day Saturday watching the quarter-mile action. The group that purchased Memphis International Raceway did a great job of bringing the track—and the Super Chevy Show—back to life.

Mike Tolbert really caught us off guard with his ’72 Camaro. It sported a complete fourth-gen interior, including the dash. Mike bought the late-model for its LS drivetrain, then decided to use everything he could from the car’s interior to revamp the ’72, and save some gas money for later.

Mike Tolbert really caught us off guard with his ’72 Camaro. It sported a complete fourth-gen interior, including the dash. Mike bought the late-model for its LS drivetrain, then decided to use everything he could from the car’s interior to revamp the ’72, and save some gas money for later.

A good example of why safety is paramount at any race, Tony Williams had just finished a pass in his ’69 Camaro Pro Mod, and was gathering up his chute when another racer ran right into the back of the car, just missing Tony in the process.

Stacey Warren wheeled this gorgeous ’72 Nova to high 9s at 134 in True Street with a 400 small-block and some spray.